KitKat is the next version of Android, says Google and Nestle

Mere minutes after Apple sent invitations to the media for its 10 September event, Google stole a bit of the spotlight by introducing the next version of Android. And it's not Key Lime Pie.

Say hello to Android 4.4 KitKat. Yup. Just like the chocolate-covered wafer by Nestlé.

Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice-president and head of Android, made the announcement on his Google+ profile on Tuesday and even shared an image of the new KitKat Android statue at the company's headquarters in California.

"On my return from Asia, I was also thrilled to find this guy waiting to greet me on the front lawn - love the new #AndroidKitKat statue and can’t wait to release the next version of the platform that is as sweet as the candy bar that’s one of our team’s favorites," wrote Pichai.

In a more official announcement, Google has launched a KitKat splash page on the Android website with the following message: "As everybody finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favorite chocolate treats, Kit Kat!"

But that's not all: Nestlé's trademarked Kit Kat (notice the space between "Kit" and "Kat") is giving Android users the chance to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit. Consumers just have to look for "specially branded Kit Kat candy bars featuring the Android robot" in stores.

A press release from Google and Nestlé has shed even more light on the partnership and promotion. Both companies have confirmed they teamed up to name the next version of Android, and, to mark the release, more than 50 million Android Kit Kat bars will be available in 19 countries. Those countries include Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the UK and the US.

Nestlé even changed the official Kit Kat Facebook page and official Kit Kat Google+ page on Monday to show off the partnership with Google's Android OS. There's also a Flickr page bursting with images that reveal the Android Kit Kat chocolate-making process.

Finally, yet importantly, Google has disclosed that Android devices have passed 1 billion activations, though Larry Page, Google's chief executive officer, had already teased in July that this milestone was on the horizon.